After more than a decade of British membership of the European
Community, there is still a widespread lack of appreciation of what
goes on within the Community institutions, and of its significance
for UK political and legal processes. This book aims to provide a
concise introduction to the institutions and law-making processes
of the Community, and to set them im their proper perspective as
part of UK public law. The prime focus is upon the Community
institutions and their inter-relations, however, reference is also
made as appropriate to the effects which Community decision-making
has on Westminster and Whitehall and in the English courts. In
particular, the book examines the sources of Community law, the
organisation and composition of the main institutions after the
accession of Portugal and Spain, and the decision-making processes
involved in the enactment of the Community's legislation. There are
also chapters on the budgetary process and on the role of the
European Court of Justice. Despite the UK emphasis some comparative
material is used to put the UK approach into perspective. To
enhance its value to readers cominig to the subject for the first
time, the book also contains the text of selected articles of the
Treaty of Rome.